U.S. Neighborhood Income Inequality in the 2005-2009 Period. American Community Survey Reports

摘要

Income inequality is one measure of societal conditions. Some have argued that large (and recently increasing) income inequality is potentially harmful to social stabilityletting the rich get richer while the poor get poorer is thought to be bad for the United States. Others have argued that income inequality is one of the engines that drives economic growth and innovation and taxing away the incomes of those at the top end of the income distribution can stifle creativity and lower the well-being of everyone. This paper will not take a position as to the benefits or costs of income inequality, or examine the changes in inequality over time at a local level, but rather it will examine the extent to which income inequality differs spatially inside the United States, focusing on small geographic areas.